ABN AMRO embraces Dutch Design

Photo: Hannie Verhoeven

We know how vital ‘Dutch Design’ is to the economy of the Netherlands. That’s why we linked up with this initiative a few years ago. In 2009 ABN AMRO started as a partner, and since 2011 we have been the proud main sponsor of Dutch Design Week.

We connect designers, companies and customers

ABN AMRO supports entrepreneurship and the development of the Dutch creative industry by sharing our network and our industry know-how with entrepreneurs and new talent. To show them just how important this transfer of information is, we host events where designers, companies and clients are given the opportunity to connect with each other.

One of our initiatives is the annually recurring Driving Dutch Design Masterclass, which was set up to help talented young designers start their business. Under this ten-month programme, we work together with the Association of Dutch Designers (BNO) and Dutch Design Week to teach talented designers how to run a business. With a personal coach from ABN AMRO, these young people are given the opportunity to take part in masterclasses and co-creation sessions that will help them take their business to a more professional level. At the end of the programme, participants attend the Dutch Design Week, where they present their projects and pitch their plans to potential clients. They also share an exhibition at this event.

Dutch Design Week

Design is not only pleasant to the eye – it is also a billion-dollar industry. The Netherlands play a leading role, and we’re not afraid to show it. Designers, established design companies and talented newcomers annually present their unique ideas during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. See here the booklet​ (PDF 6 MB) (Dutch only). Ranging from industrial, graphic and interior design to textile, fashion and architecture. New trends in design (and design management) are covered, and participants can attend free workshops, exhibitions and fashion shows.

The Dutch Design Week brings customers, companies and designers together. ABN AMRO hosts a programme with seminars, presentations, networking events and guided tours. For ABN AMRO, that makes the Dutch Design Week a unique platform to foster innovative ideas and entrepreneurship.

Masterly The Hague

The Masterly The Hague festival is all about a unique confluence of the Old Masters and Dutch Design, with some sixty works by its old masters, including Rembrandt van Rijn, inspiring the country’s best contemporary designers, such as Viktor & Rolf. Their creations can be viewed side by side in historical buildings in The Hague while the festival lasts.

It was this special combination of art and design that made ABN AMRO keen to become this great event’s main sponsor. After all, the old masters were the designers of their time and inspire contemporary designers to this very day – bringing together past, present and future.

For more information, go to www.masterlythehague.com.